Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by Ravyn Ayame
Summary: Ayame Takahashi is given in an arranged marriage to Shigure Takimi, but what happens when she falls in love with Gentatsu Takatsuki? And what is the secret she seems to be hiding?  Will eventually coincide with Samurai X movie. Rating may go up in future.
1. The Wedding

Takahashi Ayame had only met her betrothed once before, at the traditional interview that preceded most arranged marriages in Japan. She knew her soon to be husband was very handsome to be sure, but she wasn't sure what she thought of his somewhat cold demeanor. _But, _she reasoned with herself, _he is a noble samurai and future leader of the Aizu clan. _

She knew she should feel privileged to be marrying into the Takimi family, but something was missing from her joy. She did not yet love Takimi Shigure, and she didn't know if she ever would.

Ayame yelped, slapping a hand to her hair that was being unmercifully yanked into an updo for her wedding that would take place in a few hours.

"Okaa-san! That hurts!" Ayame said, glaring up at her elderly mother.

"Silence, musume! You are lucky to be getting married. Many girls are not so fortunate! Don't you want to look beautiful for your iinazuke?" Ayame blushed in embarrassment, remaining silent as her mother gouged her scalp with the traditional tortoise-shell combs.

Then, Ayame's mother helped her into her white wedding kimono that seemed even more complicated than a geisha's garb. Many layers later, she was ready for the ceremony. Looking into the mirror, Ayame hardly recognized herself. She knew that many considered her to be beautiful, but she had never seen it before. Now, in her thick makeup, she finally saw.

The Shinto shrine where the marriage was taking place was decorated beautifully for the ceremony, but Shigure did not notice. His eyes were only for his new bride. Dressed in his formal black kimono, Shigure watched as Ayame drank from the red sake cup and then handed it to him. He drank and then passed it back to her. They drank a total of three times, and then the cup was handed around to their closest family members who all drank, symbolizing their new union. Shigure then recited his marriage commitments, never looking away from his bride's dark purple eyes. Then the ceremony ended.

Throughout the small reception that took place at an inn near the shrine, Ayame could not bring herself to look into her new husband's eyes. She could tell he was deeply infatuated with her, but even with his attentiveness, something was missing. She hoped it would pass with time.

"Ayame, darling, we will leave for my home soon. Do you want to say good-bye to your mother and father?" Shigure asked, squeezing her hand.

"Yes. I will only be a moment." Ayame kept her eyes down in what she hoped he would interpret as shyness.

No such luck.

"Ayame, are you all right? I haven't been able to gaze into your pretty purple eyes since the ceremony. Is something the matter? You need not fear me, I will be a good and loyal husband to you. I will never raise my voice or strike you. Please, trust me in this." Shigure tilted Ayame's head until she looked into his dark green eyes.

" Yes, Shigure, I will. Just give me time to get to know you and I am sure I will come around."

He smiled slightly, kissing her forehead and then scooting her off in the direction of her parents.

Later that night, Shigure brought Ayame to his large home. He could tell that her nerves were getting the best of her, concerning what she would have to do that night to consummate the marriage. He did his best to make her comfortable.

" Ayame, come to bed." He beckoned, sliding the door shut behind him.

Placing her hairbrush on a small wooden table, Ayame turned and glanced at her now half-naked husband. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as she looked at his well-built frame. He had taken his long brown hair down from his samurai's tie and it cascaded elegantly over his broad shoulders. Sighing to calm her racing heart, Ayame flipped her waist length black hair behind her shoulders and began undoing the tie of her underrobe, knowing how difficult a job this could be for a man with no kimono-tying experience.

Shigure gazed in wonder at his now naked wife. She had the body of a goddess. Her pale skin contrasted wonderfully with her dark hair, but Shigure noticed something else as well. A long, jagged scar ran from just under her ribs and disappeared around to her back, its pearly sheen white even against her skin.

" Ayame?" Shigure asked.

" Not tonight, Shigure. I will tell you in time. For now, just focus on me. I am yours tonight."

Shigure nodded, stepped forward, and kissed his new wife.


	2. Getting to Know You

**Hello everyone! So sorry I didn't put an author's note on the last chapter but I got a little excited and completely forgot!**

**So here we are, Chapter two. I hope you are enjoying the story thus far, because it is going to get crazy here soon.**

**I don't own Ruroken, but I do own Ayame…so there.**

**Enjoy and please review, it makes me feel good about life.**

Chapter Two: Getting to Know You

Ayame awoke in the morning to find the bed cold and Shigure missing. Sitting up, she yawned widely and decided to have a bath. She called out for her maid, Miyuki, whom Shigure had introduced her to the previous day. When she told Miyuki of her request the girl simply nodded and left the room.

This gave Ayame a few moments to straighten up the bed and to gather a clean blue kimono that she would wear after her bath. It also gave her time to think.

Her wedding night had been, well…she didn't really know how to rationalize it in her mind. She couldn't say that it had brought her closer to the man who was her husband, a man she barely knew. It was her duty and, as a young woman of sixteen who was very used to doing her duty, did it as well as she could.

The fact that Shigure had gone without leaving her a note, though, was rather disconcerting.

"Madam. Your bath is ready. I will lead you to the bathhouse." Miyuki bowed as she spoke.

"Thank you, Miyuki."

After she was bathed and dressed, Ayame decided to survey her new home. It was a very, very large complex that was obviously well kept. This was due to the Takimi's immense wealth and the fact that Shigure was his father's firstborn son, which gave him even more wealth. Slipping her sandals on, Ayame decided to take a walk through the ornate garden that lay in the middle of the various buildings. She sighed as she looked at all of the beautiful flowers that reminded her of her mother's garden at home. Feeling a presence behind her, Ayame turned and saw Shigure watching her like a hawk.

"Good morning, my otto." She called out to him.

"It is a good morning, isn't it, my kanai?" He said as he crossed over to her.

"Where were you this morning?" She asked, noticing his demeanor grow slightly colder as she did so.

"I was out. That is all you need to know."

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to offend you, Shigure."

"You did not offend me. But know for the future that my business is my own. I will tell you what you need to be told. Alright?" He said, tilting her chin up so that her eyes met his.

"Of course, Shigure-san."

Over time, Ayame began to understand the way that Shigure wanted his home run, and she realized that it was her job to make things around the Takimi household run as smoothly as possible. For one, Shigure wanted her to be obedient and modest. Also, he liked things to be ready at a moment's notice, so Ayame basically had to make sure that the servants were prepared for anything that Shigure might want.

Shigure was affectionate with Ayame sometimes, and cold at others. It was at the times when he was angry with her that she wanted to blurt her secret, to see what he would do. She knew that he, being the honorable samurai that he was, may likely send her back to her parents when he found out. Sometimes she wanted this, and other times she did not. And then, one day, she couldn't stop herself.

"I am not a servant, Shigure!" Ayame shouted, slamming her hairbrush down on the table.

"I never said you were." He responded, calmly, lying in bed.

"But you treat me like I am one! I get patted on the head when I do something right and get punished when I do something wrong! I'm your wife and should be treated as thus!" Ayame lost it, her eyes flashing in anger.

"I do treat you like my wife! You should treat me like your husband and respect me!" Shigure yelled, finally becoming angry.

"I respect you as much as a wife is _required _to!" She shouted in retort, tears spilling from her eyes.

Ayame could see that her words had stung her husband. The fire of anger left his eyes and the tears of sadness took its' place.

"No more? You feel nothing more for me than you are 'required' to? I thought you respected me more than that…do you really hate me so? I respect you so much, Ayame, I just can't, can't…I don't know." Struggling for words, Shigure looked down at the floor.

Ayame took a deep breath and said, "Shigure, I didn't mean that. I do respect you, of course I do. How could I not? I guess I only fear that, if you knew everything about me, you would not hold me in such high esteem as you do."

"What do you mean?" Shigure looked at her, obviously puzzled.

"Well, do you remember when, four years ago, my father's village was attacked?" Shigure nodded.

"Of course. We sent warriors to help disperse the shinobi who attacked. I was among them."

"Yes. Then you remember well that my elder brother, Sasuke, was killed that day." He nodded again, Ayame continued, "Sasuke was my only brother, so my father no longer had anyone to train in his distinctive Saiki Kanouma Ryu. So he chose me."

Shigure's eyes widened immensely, realizing what this meant. Women had fought before, but no woman was ever allowed to touch a samurai's most precious weapon, the katana. If she was trained in Saiki Kanouma Ryu, that meant that Ayame had practiced with the weapon that was expressly forbidden to women.

"I mastered the technique, and fought in secret for the year up until I married you, which is how I got that scar that you saw last night. What do you think of me now?" She looked up at him sheepishly.

Shigure had to take it all in for a moment. A woman using a katana…it was blasphemy to bushido but…Aizu needed fighters if it was ever going to take down those Meiji dogs.

"Show me."


End file.
